1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna installed in an electronic device, and more particularly, to an antenna pivotably installed in a body of an electronic device.
2. Related Art
Antennas are attached to various types of portable electronic devices including, for example, radios, cellular phones, portable multimedia players (PMPs) receiving digital multimedia broadcasts (DMBs), and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to receive radio waves. Stick type antennas are designed to stand only when a portable electronic device needs to receive radio waves, for portable convenience. In one type of stick antenna, an antenna stick may be drawn from a body of an electronic device to stand when an electronic device requires reception of radio waves. In another type of stick antenna, an antenna stick may pivot on the body to stand when the electronic device requires reception of radio waves.
FIG. 1A is a plan view illustrating a state of a conventional antenna which is folded, and FIG. 1B is a plan view illustrating a state of a conventional antenna which is unfolded. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an antenna 10 includes an antenna stick 11 and an antenna hinge 15. The antenna stick 11 pivots on the body of an electronic device to stand the antenna 10. The antenna hinge 15 hinges the antenna stick 11 so that the antenna stick 11 pivots on the body of the electronic device. The antenna hinge 15 includes a support plate 16 fixed to and combined with a frame 5 in the body of the electronic device, a pivoting body 20 combined with the support plate 16 to pivot on the support plate 16 clockwise and counterclockwise, and a plate spring 18 installed on the support plate 16. The plate spring 18 includes a protrusion 19 protruding toward an external circumference of the support plate 16. The pivoting body 20 includes first and second grooves 21 and 22 into which the protrusion 19 of the plate spring 18 is inserted.
When the protrusion 19 of the plate spring 18 is inserted into the first groove 21 of the pivoting body 20 as shown in FIG. 1A, the antenna stick 11 is folded over the body of the electronic device. If a user presses a handle 25 protruding from an outer surface of the pivoting body 20 to lower the handle 25 up to a position shown in FIG. 1B, the plate spring 18 elastically shrinks and the pivoting body 20 pivots on the support plate 16 and the frame 5 clockwise. Also, the protrusion 19 elastically protrudes to be inserted into the second groove 22 when the second groove 22 overlaps with the protrusion 19. The antenna stick 11 connected to the pivoting body 20 stands due to the pivot of the pivoting body 20.
However, the pivoting body 20 must pivot at an angle at which the antenna stick 11 pivots, by a force of a user to stand the folded antenna stick 11 or fold the standing antenna stick 11. Thus, it is difficult and inconvenient to fold and/or stand the antenna stick 11. In addition, the antenna stick 11 does not smoothly pivot due to friction between the pivoting body 20 and the protrusion 19 of the plate spring 18. Moreover, excessive force is also required to pivot the antenna stick 11.